Our Year 3 children had a fabulous trip to the Botanical Gardens in Durham. As well as looking at the amazing variety of plant life in the different climate zones within the gardens, the children got to handle fossils up to 400 million years old! They saw some impressive specimens such as Frosterley Marble (really a  limestone) which was mined just up the Dale in Frosterley. The fossils show that the area was once under water, forming part of a shallow sea! Because of its decorative value, Frosterley Marble was used for the huge pillars in Durham Cathedral! The children took part in a workshop to identify fossils and investigate soil types – the clay was a particular favourite!